Such a Lovely Christmas aka Forgive and Forget
by DopeyPixie
Summary: 'The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget.' Thomas Szasz


An AU version to the season 6 Christmas episode. Andy never left, she and Milo are married (he did have the accident but he survived and is doing fine), they're having a baby boy. Lu and Jonas are also married and they already have Milagro. Peter and Kayla are dating.

They are all having dinner together for Christmas but this is a one shot describing what happened the afternoon of said Christmas day.

* * *

''I can forgive, but I cannot forget, is only another way of saying, I will not forgive. Forgiveness ought to be like a cancelled note - torn in two, and burned up, so that it never can be shown against one.'' Henry Ward Beecher

* * *

Andy put the white tablecloth on the big table in the RWHC.

''How does this look?'' She asked Peter who was standing a few feet behind her.  
''Okay,'' he responded, not even looking up to see what it actually looked like.

''Just okay?'' She asked and he could hear the pretended disappointment.  
He looked up as she turned around to look at him.  
''Dr. Campbell, I don't think anybody is going home tonight talking about what the tablecloth looked like,'' he told her with a smile.

She just shrugged and turned back to the table, readjusting it anyway.  
She heard Peter chuckle behind her but decided to ignore it. ''What time are Lu, Jonas and Milagro supposed to be here?'' She asked looking at her watch, it was only 3 p.m.

''At 3, they'll be here any minute,'' he answered. They both knew it could take longer than just a few minutes; it was Christmas and the snow was slowing traffic down.

''Here are the plates,'' Lana said walking in with Jesse and Lizzy at her sides. All three were carrying plates.

''Just in time,'' Andy said taking the plates and putting them down on the table. Just to be sure she counted all of them to check if they had enough. ''13 Plates?'' She started counting out loud: ''Lana, Peter and Kayla, Lu, Jonas, Milagro doesn't need a plate, ehm… Nick and whatever her name might be, Jesse, Lizzy, Milo. That's 10, Bob is coming late so that's 11,'' she blanked.

''You're forgetting yourself and Jesse's date,'' Lizzy helped.  
''Oh, right,'' Andy responded and turned around.  
''Who are you bringing kid?'' Lana asked Jesse while Andy continued to check her list to see if she had everything and Peter was just listening to them in the background.

''Ehm…'' Jesse hesitated, glancing over at her mother who didn't even notice. ''Steve,'' she answered Lana.  
Andy stopped dead in her tracks. She put down the list and laid her hand on her growing stomach, she was 7 months pregnant with her and Milo's son. She took a step towards Jesse who was avoiding eye contact with her mother. ''Steve who?'' Andy finally asked.

Jesse shot her mother a short glance. ''Steve Kelly,'' she answered reluctantly. Andy's jaw slightly dropped. She was silently praying this wasn't the same Steve Kelly who'd caused the drunk driving accident, that had nearly killed Milo, almost 17 months ago.

Before Andy could say a word Jesse continued. ''Look, mom, I know what he did and…''

''Are you dating him?'' Andy asked, interrupting her daughter who was talking in a rapid pace.  
Jesse let out a small sigh, knowing what was coming, and gave a slight nod.

''Jesse…'' Andy began.  
''Look, mom, I know what he did but that doesn't change the way I feel about him…''  
''How can you feel anything but hate for something who does something like that?'' Andy said, raising her voice.

''You mean drink and drive?'' Jesse asked.  
''Yes,'' Andy said trying hard to remain as calm as she could be.  
''I don't know, you tell me,'' Jesse said, a lot calmer than her mother.  
''What?'' Andy asked confused, backing off a little bit.

''What? I mean, you're friends with Tim and he has a DUI _and_ he has been to jail for two years because he tried to sell cocaine to an undercover cop,'' Jesse said, raising her voice a little bit too but remaining calm. She knew she could win the argument.  
''Well,'' Andy began.  
Jesse didn't let her continue, ''you just don't like Steve because he nearly killed Milo, but when Tim drank and drove you didn't say a thing about it.''

Andy just stood there, not knowing what to say. ''Why is it okay when he does that but not when Steve does that?'' Jesse questioned her mother.  
''Tim didn't hurt anybody, he didn't cause any accidents,'' Andy said knowing it wasn't a very good argument.

''He could've. The only reason he didn't was because the police caught him before he could do anything. It could just as easily have been the other way around, Tim having caused the accident and Steve drinking and driving but never hurting anybody. It wouldn't make a difference to you because you're too self-centered to think about something like that,'' Jesse said, raising her voice more than just a little bit.

''Jesse, that's enough,'' Andy said. If it was anybody else she probably would have started yelling back, getting into a fight with them but she knew she couldn't do that now. Especially while she was at work, especially when it was her daughter. She could feel the baby kick, something that often happened when she was upset.

''It's all about if you're okay, if Milo is okay, if the baby is okay. Steve just sits at home not wanting to talk to anybody constantly thinking about the fact that he nearly killed somebody. He doesn't talk to his family and is all alone, all the time but you don't care,'' Jesse yelled at her mother. ''He didn't actually kill Milo so I don't see what you're problem is. Most people would just forgive and forget but you can't do that because in order to do that you have to have a caring heart but you don't even have a heart at all,'' Jesse yelled.

Even as she was yelling the words she was already regretting them and when she was done saying them everybody's jaw dropped. Including those of Lu and Jonas who had just walked in with Milagro and had heard the last sentence.

Andy could just look at her daughter, taking in the words. For a few seconds everybody was silent just looking back and forth between Jesse and Andy.  
''Mom, I…'' Jesse began.  
Andy took the two steps between her and Jesse and grabbed Jesse's arm. Looking straight into her eyes she said quietly: ''go into my office, we'll talk later.''

They didn't exchange another word, Jesse turned around and started walking towards her mother's office.  
Andy stood still for a few moments, unconsciously rubbing her stomach in an attempt to sooth the baby. ''Come on Lizzy, let's get the rest off the stuff,'' she said after a while and grabbed her list. She grabbed her youngest daughters hand and they walked off to get the cutlery.

''What was that all about,'' Jonas asked as he and Lu, with Milagro in her arms, walked towards the front desk. In the background they could hear Jesse open and close the office door.  
''Jesse invited Steve Kelly for dinner,'' Peter answered as he wrote something down in the patient file he was holding. It was just a simple task he used to kill time.  
''Steve Kelly? That's the guy who caused the drunk driving accident, right?'' Lu asked, while slowly rocking 5-month-old Milagro in her arms.

''Yep,'' Peter responded looking up at Lu.

* * *

About 10 minutes later Lizzy came back with the cutlery and set it down on the table.  
''Where's your mom?'' Lana asked her.  
''She said she had to talk to Milo,'' Lizzy said.

* * *

It took another half an hour before both Andy and Milo walk into the clinic, hand in hand.  
''Is Jesse still in my office?'' Andy asks nobody in particular.  
Lana nods and Andy walks off to her office.

She softly closed the door behind her. ''Jesse?''  
Jesse is sitting in one of the chairs in front of the desk. She gets up quickly. ''Mom, I didn't mean what I said,'' she says on the verge of tears.

Andy shakes her head. ''It's okay,'' she says quietly.  
''It is?'' Jesse asks surprised, sitting back down.  
''Yeah, it made me realize that maybe I should forgive some people,'' Andy said, frowning.  
''So you're not mad at me anymore?'' Jesse asks, the doubt evident in her voice and on her face.  
''I wasn't mad at you, I was… surprised that you would say something like that,'' Andy said as she also sat down on one of the chairs, facing Jesse.

''So do you forgive and forget?'' Jesse asked her mother curiously.  
''Forgive yes, forget…'' Andy hesitated, ''I don't know about that.''

''Well, you don't have to worry anymore. I already called Steve and uninvited him,'' Jesse said.  
''Okay…'' Andy didn't really know what to say.

''So… is there anything else left to do on that list of yours?'' Jesse asked, trying to break the silence.  
''Yep, I have to get the food here. I'll go do that, could you help your sister set the table?'' Andy asked.

''Sure.''

They both walked out of the office, each heading a different way. Andy to the cafeteria, Jesse to the table.

After having done her chore she just talked to Lana, not really knowing what else she could do. She had already removed the 13th plate.

She looked up when Kayla walked in, her shift was finally over. She joined the group and they were all already sharing Christmas stories.

Just a few minutes after Kayla arrived Nick walked in with a little blonde woman. Introductions were made regarding her, Stacey, Nick's fiancée.

Bob wouldn't come until he came back from spending Christmas at his folks house with his family.

Jesse looked up when she heard somebody else enter the clinic. Her jaw slightly dropped when she saw Steve walk in. She quickly walked over to him.  
''Steve, I thought I told you that you shouldn't come,'' she said quietly, not wanting the others to hear. Lana, Peter, Lu and Jonas were looking at the two of them, knowing about the fight.

''Yeah, I know what you said, but like, twenty minutes ago your mother called and asked if I wanted to come over for dinner,'' Steve explained.  
''She did?'' Lana asked surprised. It was only then that Jesse realized they were listening to the two of them.

''Yeah, so I figured it was okay,'' Steve said, giving Jesse a kiss.

''I wonder what changed her mind,'' Peter said as Lu looked over at Milo.  
He just smiled at her and everybody turned around when they heard Andy reenter the clinic.

Nick quickly introduced her to Stacey and then Andy's gaze went to Steve. She had invited him, yes, but that didn't mean she had to be crazy about him being there.

''Hi,'' she said.  
''Hi dr. Campbell,'' he said back.

''I thought you were going to get the food,'' Jesse asked, noticing that her mother had returned empty handed.  
''15 More minutes,'' Andy said. ''I'm going to get some of the presents from my office in the meantime.''

She turned around and started walking to her office when Jesse caught up with her. They both stopped right outside the door.  
''Thank you,'' Jesse said giving her mom a hug.  
''You're welcome, sweetie,'' Andy said. ''And merry Christmas.''

* * *

''God forgives us... who am I not to forgive?'' Alan Paton


End file.
